Introduced with the Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Bill 2017, the bill amends the

Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Act 1997

to ensure that a migration agent who paid the non-commercial registration application charge in relation to their current period of registration, but gives immigration assistance otherwise than on a non-commercial basis, is liable to pay an adjusted charge.

to: remove legal practitioners from regulation by the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA); provide that the time period in which a person can be considered an applicant for repeat registration as a migration agent is set out in delegated legislation; remove the 12-month time limit within which a person must apply for registration following completion of a prescribed course; remove redundant regulatory provisions; enable the MARA to refuse an application to become a registered migration agent where the applicant does not respond to requests for further information; require migration agents to notify the MARA that they have ceased acting on a non-commercial basis and commenced acting on a commercial basis; ensure that the definitions of ‘immigration assistance’ and ‘immigration representations’ include assisting a person in relation to a request to the minister to revoke a character-related visa refusal or cancellation decision.

to: restrict access to the relocation scholarship to students relocating within Australia and students studying in Australia; align pensioner education supplement fortnightly rates with the amount of study undertaken by eligible students; and provide that payments of the pensioner education supplement cease during semester breaks and holiday periods; and

Social Security Act 1991

and

Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986

to align education entry payment rates with the amount of study undertaken by eligible students.

to: amend the residency requirements for the age pension and the disability support pension by changing certain timeframes which need to be met before claims will be deemed payable to eligible recipients; and increase the maximum liquid assets waiting period for youth allowance, austudy, newstart allowance and sick allowance from 13 weeks to 26 weeks;

Social Security Act 1991

and

Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986

to cease payment of the pension supplement after six weeks temporary absence overseas and immediately for permanent departures; and

A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999

to align the income test taper rates so that all income above the higher income free area is treated equally when calculating an individual’s rate of family tax benefit Part A.

to provide greater flexibility to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation in its activities, including the use of its property, facilities and resources for science, technology, innovation and training purposes.

to: ensure that, when a supplier provides a customer with an itemised bill or proof of transaction, the document is given in paper form unless the customer consents to receiving it electronically; and ensure that customers are not charged a fee for receiving the document in paper.

to impose a penalty on Australian cattle exporters who do not take reasonable steps to ensure that Australian cattle that is slaughtered, or processed after slaughter, in a foreign country is not marketed as Australian beef.

to: ensure that penalty rates in a modern award cannot be varied to make the penalty rate lower than that in force under the award on 30 June 2017; provide that any such determination made by the Fair Work Commission made on or after 22 February 2017 is of no effect; and ensure that penalty rates cannot be reduced in any future greenfields or non-greenfields enterprise agreement if an employee is worse off than they would have been under the award, by virtue of the fact that the employee works only or mainly on days on which penalty rates are paid.

The bill: establishes the Regional Investment Corporation to administer farm business loans and financial assistance granted to states and territories in relation to water infrastructure projects, and any future programs prescribed by rules; provides for the corporation’s functions, operating mandate, ministerial directions, board membership and appointment of a chief executive officer and staff; and provides for miscellaneous matters, including the recovery of costs, delegations, power to make rules, and an independent review of the operation of the Act before 1 July 2024.